Practical JCPOA Steps Expected from Europe: Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi reacted to a statement by the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said they are expected to take “practical and effective steps” to implement the accord.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s government carefully examines the statements and positions of the European parties to the JCPOA in terms of their compliance with the obligations of these governments under the agreement and the resolutions of the (JCPOA) Joint Commission,” Mousavi said on Monday.

“Iran expects the European JCPOA partners to take practical, effective and responsible decisions and steps in the process of its implementation,” he stressed.

“Any expectation from Iran to return to the conditions prior to May 8, 2019 without (seeing proof of) the serious political will and practical ability of the European parties to balance the fulfillment of their obligations on the basis of the JCPOA and (without) Iran benefiting from the effects of the lifting of sanctions as anticipated in the JCPOA would be an unrealistic expectation and contrary to the goals, logic and content of the JCPOA,” the spokesman said.

He further reiterated that Iran will remain committed to the deal to the same extent that the other side is committed to it.

In a joint statement on Sunday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain, who are parties to the deal alongside Russia and China, said the time has come to “act responsibly and to look for ways to stop the escalation of tension and resume dialogue.”

The remarks came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a special meeting on Wednesday at Washington’s request to win the Board of Governors’ support for its anti-Iran claims about the JCPOA.

The emergency meeting of the 35-member Board of Governors of the IAEA was held in Vienna to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, which wrapped up with no conclusion.

The meeting came a few days after Iran increased the level of its uranium enrichment to 4.5%, which is beyond the limit set by the JCPOA. The move was part of the second phase of the country’s May 8 decision to reduce its commitments under the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal in reaction to the US violations and Europe’s inaction.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA.

Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.

The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.